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Opinion: Respond to children's deaths

Reg Wilcox
Published 12:04 a.m. ET Jan. 16, 2015

The deaths of 2-year-old Dezirae Sheldon of Poultney in February and 15-month-old Peighton Geraw of Winooski in April have raised questions about how well the state protects children in its care.(Photo: Courtesy photos)

Canaries once lived in coal mines to bear witness to the quality of air in the mine. Aiden Haskins, Dezirae Sheldon and Peighton Geraw once lived in Vermont to bear witness to the quality of life in Vermont families.

Most canaries live to sing, to dance, and to enjoy life; the mine canaries lived to give witness to air quality conditions and some died to sound the alarm. Most children in Vermont live to sing, to dance, and to enjoy life. However, Aiden, Desirae and Peighton lived briefly in Vermont to give witness to family conditions and they each died to sound the alarm.

It is my hope that as a result of our response to these alarms, the terrible deaths of Aiden, Desirae and Peighton will lead to other families and children being saved.

It is also true, and very unfortunate, that for every Aiden, Desiare and Peighton, many other Vermont children will survive childhood yet suffer their entire lives due to the Adverse Childhood Experiences that tormented them while living in failed Vermont families.

We have known for decades that children thrive best in alcohol-free, bully free, drug-free, sexual abuse-free, tobacco-free and violence-free homes with mom and dad present to care for and nurture them. Yet, some Vermont couples continue to decide to start their families before they can provide a safe home for their children, and before they have attained the personal, social and financial maturity needed to be successful parents, fully responsible for the nurture and safety of their children.

Many of these families will find themselves under tremendous stress, and it should not surprise any of us that some of these families will fail and some will fail catastrophically. Years of government-mandated, school and social service programs have been unable to end these catastrophes in our Vermont families. It is time for a new focus on family life in Vermont.

In January 2014, Gov. Shumlin's State of the State address focused like a laser on rising opiate addictions in Vermont. His sounding of the alarm moved this issue to the top of the 2014 legislative agenda. Gov. Shumlin's and the 2014 Legislature's strong focus on opiate addictions was a much-needed, appropriate response.

Now that the youngest and most vulnerable among us, Aiden, Desirae and Peighton have sounded a new alarm, we must respond and make improving family life in Vermont our highest priority in 2015. I ask Gov. Shumlin and our Legislature to declare 2015, The Year of the Vermont Family. I further request that the governor and our Legislature devote the vast majority of their legislative energies to activities which will directly improve the life of Vermont families and children ,and not to answering the desires of in-state or out-of-state political activists.

In addition to government action, compassionate people of faith must step up and help. MOPS (mothers of preschool children) programs, provided by some churches are a great resource. However, many at-risk families may not be aware of, or have access to a MOPS program within their local community.

Dozens of in-state Christian organizations provide compassionate support, in Jesus' name, to the hungry, homeless, unexpectedly pregnant, fatherless, addicted and/or incarcerated Vermonters and their families. These lean, mission-focused organizations do more than just talk about the Golden Rule, they live it out in the local community. They need volunteers and money, goods and services. In short, they need Christians who will walk the talk that Jesus is the solution to life's most troubling problems.

One final thought: If you find yourself trapped in a failing family unit now, or if you accumulated a high ACE score as a child, find a local Bible teaching church and let the love of Jesus and His family love you into the masterpiece that you were created to be, don't settle for anything less. Your are loved and you are worth it.